The Pendulum, May 19, 2023 Edition

Grass to graduation: Setting up campus

A PUBLICATION OF

Established 1974 | Volume 52, Edition 28

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NAOMI WASHINGTON

Executive Director of Elon News Network, News Director of Elon Local News

ABIGAIL HOBBS

Managing Editor of The Pendulum

RYAN KUPPERMAN

Managing Editor of elonnewsnetwork.com

SARAH T. MOORE

Chief Copy Editor

ERIN MARTIN

Visual Media Editor

MADISON POWERS

News Editor

MASON WILLETT

Sports Editor

BETSY SCHLEHUBER

Lifestyle Editor

ABBY SHAMBLIN Analytics Director

JENNA MANDERIOLI

Social Media Manager

MAX WALLACE

Video Production Manager

Kyra O’Connor and Avery Sloan contributed to the design of this edition. Kyra O’Connor, Avery Sloan, Erin Sockolof and Sophie Rosenthal contributed to the copy editing of this edition.

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CORRECTIONS

There are no corrections from the last edition of The Pendulum.

Groundskeeping preparation for the ceremony on campus began over a month ago

worked to maintain the campus, university administration prepared commencement utilities such as parking, Schar Center, as well as diplomas.

To accommodate the large number of attendees expected, the team focused on the venue, maintaining the grounds and managing arrangements.

campus, but they are usually just passing through.

“I have seen photos of previous graduation ceremonies under the oaks, but I think for weather and space purposes the Schar Center makes more sense,” Arabian said. “I am always in awe of the attention to detail.”

As the campus buzzed with excitement for upcoming graduation celebrations, the behind-the-scenes efforts of Elon University’s facilities management to create a seamless and enjoyable experience for graduates, families and guests were well underway.

The commencement ceremony, held in Schar Center, is one of Elon’s largest events of the year. This year the ceremony was on Friday, May 19, but the facilities management team began preparing for the grand celebration over one month ago.

Michael James, an electrical mechanic for facilities management, said that while facilities management

“We work off of work orders, and there’s people that walk around and make sure everything goes according to plan,” James said. “Right now we’re cleaning lights and straightening poles, so everything looks pretty.”

James said a top priority is ensuring that all facilities are clean, well-maintained and accessible for the ceremony. The commencement ceremony has only been held in Schar for the past few years, and James said that’s where it probably will stay due to expanding class sizes.

Graduating senior Alanna Arabian said she frequently sees the facilities management trucks driving through

Arabian said that facility management employees are always planting new flowers around this time of year and helping the campus in time for commencement.

Rick Folgeman, an electrical mechanic for the university, said that before the graduation commencement ceremony was in Schar, it used to be in front of the main entrance of the West Hall in Elon’s Historic Neighborhood.

“Before it was in Schar, we went through and cleaned all these buildings in the area, because that’s where people were looking,” Folgeman said. “Because it’s in the Schar Center, there’s not a whole lot we do to the neighborhoods. Though, we keep everything clean.”

Class of 2023: Beyond commencement

Saplings

Each Elon graduate receives an oak sapling, symbolizing their time at the university and their commitment to lifelong learning. As the sapling grows, it signifies the graduates continued development. Any graduate can map their sapling on the Elon Alumni website, even if it has died or if you no longer live in the same location it was planted in.

Transcripts

A few days after commencement, transcripts should update to say students have graduated. Before requesting a transcript, make sure all grades are present on OnTrack. Both electronic and paper versions of transcripts can be requested and are $8 per copy. Transcripts can be requested online at elon.edu/u/registrar/transcripts-and-records/transcripts/.

Homecoming 2023

Homecoming is set to be held from Oct. 20 to 22. Signature events include a community block party, College Coffee, a tailgate and football game. For questions contact alumni@elon.edu or call (336) 278-7500.

Anjolina Fantaroni Elon News Network | @AnjolinaClaire

SOPHIE ROSENTHAL | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Sal Catapano, Elon facilities management employee, mows the lawn in front of the Koury Center on May 17 in preparation for commencement.

Seniors

Billie Waller receives an “Outstanding Graduate” award at the Lavender Graduation ceremony held May 5, 2023 at McKinnon Hall. This award represents those who have shown dedication, passion, and awareness within the LGBTQIA communities. Photo by Erin Hroncich.

Members of the class of 2023 Odyssey program cohort celebrate at Lakeside after their graduation ceremony on Saturday. Photo by Sarah T. Moore.

Seniors Jenna Weber, Jenna Sudol, Louisa Malchodi and Jack Rardon hold candles at the Numen Lumen Senior Baccalaureate ceremony on May 16. Photo by Erin Hroncich.

Elon University brickmason Cody Watson uses a mallet to place a brick into the sidewalk under the oaks during the class of 2023 brick laying on April 19. Photo by Joseph Navin.

Senior Amanda Bossert receiving her First-generation graduation stole from Dean of Students Jana Lynn Patterson at the First Gen Student Graduation Celebration. Photo by Sarah T. Moore.

celebrated with caricature artists and more at the senior celebration May 17. Photo by Ryan Kupperman.

2019-20

6,277

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

T-PAIN FALL CONCERT PERFORMER

NUMBER OF FACULTY 446

78% ACCEPTANCE RATE

LAROSE COMMONSSTUDENT OPENED

2020-21

JACK JOHNSON

STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT

MAJORS 58 MINORS 75

17.1% FRESHMAN STUDENTS OF COLOR

ROBBIE MILEY

6,291 NUMBER OF FACULTY 447 MINORS 75

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

16.4% FRESHMAN STUDENTS OF COLOR

STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT

MAJORS 61 72% ACCEPTANCE RATE

THE INN AT ELON OPENED

2021-22

6,302

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

BRYCE VINE

FALL CONCERT PERFORMER

NUMBER OF FACULTY 455

JACK CORBY

STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT

2022-23

78% ACCEPTANCE RATE

MAJORS 64 MINORS 76

17.3% FRESHMAN STUDENTS OF COLOR

6,337 NUMBER OF FACULTY 480

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

TAI VERDES

FALL CONCERT PERFORMER

INNOVATION HALL OPENED

74% ACCEPTANCE RATE

NADINE JOSE

STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT

MAJORS 63 MINORS 80

19% FRESHMAN STUDENTS OF COLOR

FOUNDERS HALL OPENED

Hurricane Ian put a damper on the first day of Family Weekend for over 1,000 families at Elon University. In its course, Hurricane Ian rolled over central Florida and downgraded to a post-tropical depression. It regained strength again before hitting South Carolina as a Category 1 hurricane, and before Ian made landfall in North Carolina, the town of Elon felt its effects.

Of the 14 events planned for Sept. 30, only one happened before the university closed. All of the rest were canceled.

10

TOP STORIES THIS YEAR

This year, Elon News Network compiled 10 of our biggest stories of the 2022-23 school year. From guests on campus to businesses and staff members leaving Elon, this year has seen many changes. From multiple articles, each story helps illustrate what this school year was like at Elon. Reporting done by Annemarie Bonner, Ellis Chandler, Alicia Clanton, Miranda Ferrante, Abigail Hobbs, Ryan Kupperman, Joseph Navin, Kyra O’Connor, Nyah Phengsitthy, Sophie Rosenthal, Alexandra Schneider, Avery Sloan and Audrey Toscano

COURTESYOFTHEYELLEFAMILY

Jackson Yelle, an Elon University junior from North Eastham, Massachusetts, died at the age of 21. He was in Myrtle Beach on a weekend trip with club baseball when he was killed in a hit-and-run on April 30. An arrest was made May 1.

Yelle was a business analytics major with a statistics minor, and a member of club baseball.

Jaden Ryan, an Elon junior, remembers his friend and teammate as someone with a “special kind of energy to be around.”

When Elon junior Garrett Fitschen closes his eyes, he remembers his friend as always smiling, riding with his Jeep windows down on the roads

of Elon. For Fitschen, he’s glad his memory of Yelle is so happy.

“He lived up the street from me and we always used to be going opposite ways,” Fitschen said. “He drove a Jeep so he always had doors off, top down and so through the plane and just this huge smile on his face and I’m glad that’s … what comes to mind.”

JOSEPHNAVIN|STAFFPHOTOGRA

NC LEGISLATURE OVERRODE GOVERNOR

VETO, ABORTION NOW ILLEGAL AFTER 12 WEEKS

The North Carolina General Assembly overrode Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto on Senate Bill 20 – making abortion illegal in North Carolina after 12 weeks.

The North Carolina Senate convened on May 16 to vote on the “Care for Women, Children and Families Act,” otherwise known as SB20. After the bill passed by a margin of 30-20, it then moved to the House floor in the evening where it passed with a margin of 72-48.

CHEATING OR A RESOURCE: FACULTY BALANCE CHATGPT

On Feb. 7 in a panel of about 30 Elon University faculty members in Belk Library, computer science professor Shannon Duvall displayed instructions for how to remove a peanut butter sandwich from a VCR, written as a biblical verse in the style of the King James Bible. But, it had all been written by a bot. The bot in question is an artificial intelligence chatbot called ChatGPT, released in November 2022. ChatGPT distinguishes itself with its ability to answer advanced, creative questions and remember the thread of dialogue.

EXTRA ENFORCEMENT, MORE PARKING REGULATION ACROSS CAMPUS THIS ACADEMIC YEAR

University Traffic Officer Kim Farmer has become more familiar with parking habits across campus this year as he’s finding that more drivers violate Elon’s parking rules. Parking enforcement has increased this year, and many drivers are feeling the effects of it when they walk out to see a ticket

on their windshield, or sometimes, their cars towed away. According to Chief of Campus Safety and Police Joe LeMire, more than 4,600 parking tickets have been issued in the 2022-23 school year as of April 7, which is on pace to beat last year’s total 4,700 tickets issued. One of the main factors behind parking enforcement is due to the university’s growth, LeMire said.

Latham Park was filled under the lights on April 4 as the Elon University baseball team delivered a 5-3 upset victory against the No. 2 Wake Forest University Demon Deacons. This victory was the highest ranked win for the Phoenix since it defeated No. 1 Clemson in 2002. It also marked the highest ranked opponent Elon has ever beaten at home, and the program’s first home victory against Wake Forest since 2012.

LUKEJOHNSON|STAFFPHOTOGRAPHER

Mediterranean Deli plans to open this summer in downtown Elon, in place of Acorn Coffee Shop, which will be relocated to Belk Library.

On Aug. 18,

Mediterranean Deli posted a sign on its door announcing it was permanently closed.

Mediterranean Deli has been located on the ground floor of Park Place since 2017.

Owner Jamil Kadoura said the original space was too large for its business and hopes to be successful in the new, smaller location.

“They did what they could for us to stay,” Kadoura said. “They encouraged us to stay and made it very clear that we’ve been a good addition to the university food-wise and they want us to stay there.”

In the Nov. 8 midterm elections, across all partisan races, Republicans won every race on the Alamance County ballot, apart from the district wide race for U.S. House of Representatives District 4. This includes the senate race where Republican Ted Budd was elected, who previously represented Alamance County’s district in Congress, and Republican Sheriff Terry Johnson who began his first term as sheriff in 2002 and was reelected.

The North Carolina General Assembly voted March 29 to eliminate all pistol purchase permitting laws in North Carolina. The change comes days after a deadly shooting in Tennessee.

With the statewide change, the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office will no longer issue or require pistol purchase permits. The process to purchase a handgun in the state is now only limited by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.

Elon University said goodbye to four senior staff members who have left to become presidents of other universities. Elon Athletics Director Dave Blank also announced he’d be stepping down at the end of the 202223 academic year.

In 2017, a study published by Business and Economics Horizons found that private higher education institutions have an average turnover of 18%. Elon’s turnover rate for senior staff in the 2022-23 year is 22.2%.

The most recent to announce their departure

is Jeff Stein, vice president of strategic initiatives, who will be leaving after serving Elon University for 21 years.

Former Dean of the School of Health Sciences Rebecca Neiduski announced her departure March 21, 2022, after starting her role at Elon five years earlier. Former Dean of the School of Communications Rochelle Ford, who worked at Elon since 2018, followed May 24, 2022. Former Provost Aswani Volety announced his departure May 26, 2022 after joining the university in 2019.

NYAH PHENGS TTHY | STAFFPHOTOGRAPHER

STUDENTS REMEMBER ELON JUNIOR JACKSON YELLE

ELON UNIVERSITY SENIOR STAFF MEMBERS’ LEAVING SHAKES UP UNIVERSITY

HURRICANE IAN FOILS FAMILY WEEKEND PLANS

MEDITERRANEAN DELI CLOSES, RELOCATES IN DOWNTOWN ELON THIS SUMMER

PISTOL PURCHASE PERMITS NO LONGER REQUIRED IN NC

ALAMANCE COUNTY MIDTERMS BRING LOCAL RED WAVE

ELON UNIVERSITY BASEBALL UPSETS NO. 2 WAKE FOREST IN THRILLER

JACOB KISAMORE | STAFFPHOTOGRAPHER

JOSEPHNAVIN|STAFFPHOTOGRAPHER

Lady Capulet

Lady Capulet—a place of calm, beauty, and a touch of extravagance. In other words, home. That is what awaits you if you choose to reside at Gibsonville’s newest exclusive apartments.

Newly renovated, Lady Capulet offers a suite of four luxurious apartments. Each apartment provides the seclusion needed for quiet living, while providing a relaxing atmosphere in historic old Gibsonville.

At Lady Capulet, you will have your own 135 square foot bedroom, which includes independent heating and cooling, a 42” television, plus a spacious closet. You share a fully equipped kitchen, lounge, two full baths, and a laundry room with occupants of the other three apartments.

In the kitchen, you will find all Whirlpool appliances, including dishwasher, full-size stove and oven, and a stainless-steel freezer/refrigerator. A center island provides a double stainless-steel sink and plenty of countertop space for making your favorite meals.

Eat, relax, or socialize in the adjacent dining room/ lounge, as you enjoy the view of downtown Gibsonville. Cathedral ceilings in the kitchen and lounge and handcrafted woodwork throughout highlight the care taken to make Lady Capulet a special place created just for you.

At Lady Capulet, you will be walking distance from the famous Reno’s Pizza Italian Restaurant, an ice cream shop, the post office, and other shops and stores.

And before you ask, Gibsonville is only about two miles from Elon University and about ten minutes’ drive from Alamance Regional Medical Center.

SENIOR CONTINUES DANCING DREAMS AT PROFESSIONAL LEVEL

Elon University senior and dance team co-captain Lindsey Rothenstein’s next season of dance team practices is only just beginning. This time, it’s not for Elon, but rather her first practice as an NFL dancer for the Command Force — the performance group for the Washington Commanders.

A D.C. area resident, Rothenstein said she wanted to move back to the area because it seemed like the right fit, because she’s also a political science major. She said she loved everything about the Commanders’ dance team.

“Performing with the team at Schar Center and at Rhodes Stadium has been

the biggest thing that actually made me want to perform professionally because I loved the energy that comes with game days. I was not ready to give that up,” Rothenstein said.

Rothenstein auditioned for the team in late April. She said she knew she wanted to continue at the professional level last summer, and she’s spent the year doing research and attending various preparation classes. The audition process was four days long and Rothenstein said cuts were made along the way.

“When they posted the finalist roster for the semi-finals, I was like, just got to keep focused,” Rothenstein said. “But after I posted the roster on Instagram, a lot of people reached out, which was pretty amazing, seeing all the support and love.”

The season runs from May to January, and Rothenstein will be at practice all summer. The team practices two to three times a week, and she said

there’s game days and community appearances in addition to that.

Yet, being an NFL dancer is a part-time job, and Rothenstein said she’ll be looking for a political consulting role alongside

her dancer position.

Elon senior and dance team member Ava de Bruin said she’s hoping to attend a game and watch Rothenstein on the sidelines next year. De Bruin said it’s not often that those auditioning for the first time make it on a professional team, and that made her even more proud of Rothenstein.

“I believed this was possible for her from the beginning, but of course, I didn’t want to bring it up too much or make her feel additional pressure because I think we all have this understanding that it takes a really incredible dancer and teammate to make it all the way through on the first round,” de Bruin said.

Watching Rothenstein grow as a dancer, teammate and mentor are what de Bruin said makes her most excited to support her friend in this new venture.

“I feel like this could be just

the beginning for her in terms of where she wants to take her dance journey,” de Bruin said. “She’s just been such a vital player. She has played such a vital role on our team, and in building our program, and I’m so excited that she’s going to be able to bring her talent, her passion, her leadership skills to another team. To be honest, I think their team is lucky to have her.”

Rothenstein said she’s excited to be part of a team again, and is thankful to the dance team and Elon community for their support.

“I’m excited to be the youngest person in the room and learn from a bunch of different people, I’m excited to perform and get out there,” Rothenstein said. “It’s a massive stadium and I haven’t performed in front of nearly that many people ever, but I’m ready for it.”

Ellis Chandler Elon News Network | @ellis_chandler

Lindsey Rothenstein is now an NFL dancer for the Washington Commanders

ERIN MARTIN VISUAL MEDIA EDITOR

Lindsey Rothenstein waves to the crowd during a 2022 football game. Rothenstein, a four year member of the Elon dance team will head to Washington following graduation as a dancer for the Washington Commanders.

PERFORMING WITH THE TEAM AT SCHAR CENTER AND AT RHODES STADIUM HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST THING THAT ACTUALLY MADE ME WANT TO PERFORM PROFESSIONALLY.

LINDSEY ROTHENSTEIN COMMAND FORCE DANCER

PHOTOS COURTESY OF LINDSEY ROTHENSTEIN

Lindsey Rothenstein will continue her passion for dance post graduation as a dancer for the Washington Commanders.